3 questions for Rolf Speth, Mayor of Hörnum (Sylt)
Mr Speth, why are the topics of “digitalization” and “gigabit expansion” important for your municipality?
Rolf Speth: We mainly want to use digitalization to strengthen tourism. One example: our guests also want to use communication services such as Whatsapp while on the beach – but we need internet reception on the beach for this. We need to work on that.
For which other sectors is digitalization of particular interest?
Speth: On Sylt – and of course here in Hörnum – tourism is the most important industry. Everything here depends on it. It is very important for our guests that their vacation apartment has Wi-Fi. And with the Budersand, for example, we have a great hotel, for which gigabit funding is of course of particular interest. But many people also come to Hörnum to work from here. For example, the representative of Pfizer Germany spent his vacation on Sylt and held video conferences etc. from here. And last but not least, we have our port: ships sail to Helgoland and Cuxhaven, which of course also require a good internet connection for the card systems. If a trip is canceled, the participants must be informed immediately.
Do you see risks as well as opportunities in digitalization?
Speth: One disadvantage I see is that real communication is becoming less and less frequent, for example when everyone in a restaurant is busy on their cell phones instead of talking to each other. Video conferencing is also no substitute for real meetings.